Holdback-snap



(No Model.) w

. RUNDQUIST;

OLDBAGK SNAP.

V Patented -Aug.-13, 1889.l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM RUNDQUIST, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

HOLDBACK-SNAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,990, dated August 13, 1889.

Application filed May 11, 1889. Serial No. 310,476. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM RUNDQUIsT, a citizen of the United States, residin g at Elgin, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in I-Ioldbacks for l'larness-Breechings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact specification of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formin g a part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved holdback applied to a thill of a vehicle, and Fig. 2 is a Vertical longitudinal sectional view taken centrally through the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the pivoted arm or lever.

This .invention relates more especially to that class of holdbacks for the breechingstraps of harness in which the confining-arm is normally closed by a spring to prevcnt disengagement of the holdback-straps under ordinary circumstances, but which is so constructed and arranged for service as to permit the holdback-Strap to be automatically disengaged from the holdback should a whiffletree become broken or otherwise disabled and the. animal start forward; and the obj ect of my invention is to simplify the device,

provide for the concealment and protection of the spring that controls the pivoted arm or lever, and render said device cheap and easy to nianufacture.

lVith these ends in view, and such others as pertain to my invention, it consists of a hollow tubular standard having an integral base, by means of which the device can be readily and easily fiXed to the thill, an arm or lever pivoted near one end to the standard and having its shorter end projecting over and across the opening in the standard, and a spring housed within the bore or chamber of the standard to normally force a follower or plug against the Vshort'arm of the pivoted lever, and thereby force the long arm of said lever against the base-plate or the thill to which the holdback is applied.

To enable others to more readily understand and use my invention, I will now proceed to a detailed description thereof, in connection With the accolnpanying drawings, in. which like letters of reference (lenote corrcsponding parts in all the figures.

A designates the base-plate of my improved holdback, with which is cast an integral standard B, that lies substantially at right angles to the face of the basecplate. This baseplate is provided with transverse perforations through which screws can be passed to rigidly fasten' the device to a thill. The Vertical standard B is made hollow, or provided, as by drilling, with a longitudinal passage or chamber b, which opens at its outer end through the lower extremity of the standard; and said end of the standard is furth'er provided with integral parallel ears c c', which are arranged on opposit-e sides of the plane of the passage or chamber b, and project beyond one face of the standard for a short distance i (see Fig. 3) to receive the end of the lever or arm D. This lever is arranged between the ears c c', with one end or its short arm (Z extending across the passage or chamber b, and said lever is pivoted or fulcrumed on said standard, between the cars c c' thereof7 by'a pin or shaft O, which passes through the arm (Z and is fixed in the cars c c'. The upper face or side of the short arm d of the lever D that faces the passage Z) is curved or provided with a bearing-surface e, against which impinges the rounded head of a follower or plug F, th at is titted snugly in the passage or chamber b of the hollow standard B, and this follower is normally forced against said short arm cl by means of a coiled spring E, which is placed in the chamber B between the baseplate A and the follower. The long arm of the lever is curved longitudinally, as shown, and its free end is normally forced against the base-plate or the thill to which the holdback is applied by the pressure of the spring on the short arm d of the lever.

It will be observed that the short arm of the lever serves to confine the spring and the follower in the tubular standard, and to conceal said parts from view and protect them from injury, and that said short arm of the lever fits fiushwith the lugs c c', so as to form a neat finish and joint.

The operation of my invention is obvious. The holdback strap is fastened or passed around the solid standard, which receives all IOO the strain and pull and is eonstructed very substantially to resist the strain, while the pivoted arm or lever serves to confinethe holdback-strap against displacemcnt. Should an accident happenas, for instance, by breaking` the whiffletree or otherwise-and the horse start forward, the pivoted arm or lever will yield or give way to the strap and allow the latter to readily escape from the holdback, which isimpossible when the holdback-strap is fastened orwrapped around the thill in the ordinary manner.

lVhile I have shown and described my invention as especially adapted for use as a holdback for the breeching` of a harness, yet I would have it understood that- I do not strictly confine myself to its use in this special relation, as I am aware that it can be applied with good results to the saddle of a harness and used as a checkrein-hook to confine the chcckrein in place, as will bo readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention relates.

Slight changes in the form and proportion of parts can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantagos of my invention.

lliaving thus fully descrihed my iuvontion,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a hollow standard, a leverfulcrumed thereon and having its short arm arranged across the pass-age or chamber in said standard, and a spring housed within the ohamber of the standard and arranged to exert its pressure against the short arm of the lever, which arm confines the spring in place and conceals it from View, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a hollow standard having' the integral cars at one end and a base-plate at its other end, an arm or lcver having one end fitted between and pivoted to said ears and arranged across the chamberot` said standard, a follower fitted in said hollow standard and bearin g against the short arm of the lever, and a coiled springbearing against the follower, substantiall y as and for the purposc described.

In testimony whercof I hereunto afix my signature in 'presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM RUNDQUIST. Witnesscs:

J. M. MnnNAGH, R. N. Borsronn. 

